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No, Amupitan was not part of Tinubu’s 2023 election legal team

Nurudeen Akewushola
Nurudeen Akewushola
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Prof. Joash Amupitan. Source: JABU Website

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FOLLOWING President Bola Tinubu’s nomination of Joash Amupitan as the new chairman of the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC), several social media users alleged that the nominee was part of the legal team that represented Tinubu in court after the 2023 presidential election.

The claim, which has been shared multiple online, sparked public debate, with some suggesting that Amupitan’s alleged involvement made him unfit to head Nigeria’s electoral body.

An X user, @ojiUgo_nwa posted the claim with a caption :

“The INEC chairman designate was the lead counsel of APC and Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.  Tinubu is an agbada wearing dictator.”

The post has generated over 200 reposts and more than 300 likes as of October 11, 2025.

The claim also appeared here and here.

CLAIM

Joash Amupitan, the INEC chairman nominee, was part of President Tinubu’s legal team for the 2023 presidential election’s court case.

screenshot of the claim that Omupitan was part of Tinubu legal team

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu officially nominated Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) to succeed Mahmood Yakubu, whose term as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ended in October 2025 after completing two terms (from 2015 to 2025).

Amupitan, 58, from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu LGA in Kogi State, is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, Plateau. He is also an alumnus of the university.

A review of the Certified True Copies (CTC) of the 2023 presidential election petition tribunal and Supreme Court judgments(here and here) shows that Amupitan’s name does not appear among the lawyers listed for Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, or the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Instead, the documents reveal that Taiwo Osipitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and professor of law at the University of Lagos, was part of Tinubu’s legal team. The similarity in their surnames, Osipitan and Amupitan, likely caused the confusion that led to the false claim.

Wole Olanipekun led Tinubu’s defence team, which included several prominent lawyers such as Akin Olujinmi, Yusuf Ali, and others. None of the official court records listed Joash Amupitan as a member of the team.

VERDICT

The claim that Joash Amupitan was part of President Tinubu’s legal team at the 2023 election tribunal is FALSE. Court records confirm that his name does not appear among Tinubu’s counsels, and the claim likely stems from confusion with Taiwo Osipitan.

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Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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